As Jesus went on from there, two blind men
followed him, crying loudly, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” When he entered the house, the blind men
came to him; and Jesus said to them, “Do
you believe that I am able to do this?” Matthew 9:27-28a
You experience the world in a
different way when you are blind and can’t see.
When a loved one gives you a word of encouragement, you can’t see their
smile. When there is a low-hanging
branch, or an angry dog, or an uneven sidewalk, you run the risk of walking
directly into harm’s way. Your world
looks exactly the same when you close your eyes at night as when you open them
in the morning. It’s dark, no matter
what.
The two blind men had enough of
being blind! They were persistent. They cried out “Have mercy on us.” Those words are used most often in the
Psalms, and each time it is connected to the realization that God is the only
one who have truly have mercy and heal.
“Have mercy on us, Son of David” is a statement of faith, a statement of
faith in God’s healing power, and a confession of faith in Jesus, Son of David.
Jesus asked the question, “Do you
believe that I am able to do this?” And
the blind men said, “Yes, Lord.”
Lord. They confessed Jesus as Son
of David and as Lord. And Jesus said,
“According to your faith let it be done to you.”
Faith
is believing even if I don’t see it. Have
you ever heard someone say, “I’ll believe it when I see it.” We sometimes think that seeing is
believing. But our faith teaches us
something different. Believing is seeing. When you believe in Jesus and his ability to
heal, strengthen, and guide us, you begin to see life differently. You begin to reflect on your life and see how God is active in your life.
Of course, we often see God’s
activity in our lives in retrospect; we look back and realize that God has been
with us all the time. But faith is believing
even if I don’t see it. Faith is looking
to the future with the confidence that Jesus is able to do what he has promised
to do all along. ‘Twas blind, but now I see.
Faith is seeing in advance, and grasping the future in the present. Do you believe Jesus can give that confidence to you? Do you believe he is able to do this?
- Name 5 things that you are absolutely
certain Jesus can do.
- Name 3 things
you sometimes wonder if Jesus is able to do.
- Do you believe
that believing is seeing? Is faith,
for you, “seeing in advance”? Why
or why not?
Prayer for Today: Lord, God, you have called your servants to
ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through
perils unknown. Give us faith to go out
with good courage, not knowing where we go, but only that your hand is leading
us and your love supporting us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
This song, with the Chains bridge, reminds me of the blind men being set free.
So awesome.
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